Press Freedom Under Fire in AAP-Ruled Punjab

 

Opposition parties in Punjab have strongly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government, accusing it of using state machinery to silence the press. The allegations surfaced after the Punjab Kesari newspaper group wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on January 15, claiming that it was being subjected to repeated raids by enforcement agencies.

 

Leader of the Opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, alleged that the ruling AAP was misusing its authority to intimidate the media. Bharatiya Janata Party state president Sunil Jakhar also condemned what he described as an attack on media freedom and announced that a BJP delegation would meet the governor on January 17 to raise the issue.

 

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also denounced the alleged actions against the newspaper group. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Badal stated that when governments feel threatened and sense political vulnerability, they first target independent media and opposition parties that speak for the people.

 

The Punjab Kesari group, in a letter addressed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on January 15, alleged that multiple raids were conducted against it following the publication of a report on opposition allegations against Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of the ruling AAP. According to the newspaper, raids were carried out on Thursday night at its printing presses in Bathinda and Suranusi in Jalandhar district.

 

 

The group claimed that several employees at the Bathinda printing press were taken into custody by the police during the raid. It further alleged that some staff members were assaulted by the police, resulting in injuries that required medical treatment at the Civil Hospital in Bathinda. At the Suranusi printing press, officials from the Pollution Control Board, accompanied by police personnel, allegedly forced their way into the premises, mistreated and assaulted employees, and broke open the lock of the inner gate. The officials reportedly collected samples forcibly and detained one individual. The newspaper group alleged that these actions were carried out without any prior notice or warning and that officials cited orders from above as justification for the raids.

 

In addition to writing to the Chief Minister, the Punjab Kesari group also sent a letter to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, drawing attention to what it described as a pattern of continuous raids by the police and other authorities under the AAP government. The letter alleged that the newspaper group was being targeted for its impartial reporting on allegations levelled against the AAP national convenor, which were published on October 31, 2025.

 

 

The letter, signed by Vijay Kumar Chopra, Avinash Chopra and Amit Chopra, expressed deep concern and anguish over recent developments, stating that there was a serious apprehension that the Punjab government was deliberately targeting the Punjab Kesari Group and its associate concerns with the intent of intimidating the press. It described the October 31 report as balanced and fair, noting that it merely reported opposition allegations against the ruling party’s national leadership.

 

According to the letter, the situation escalated shortly after the publication of the report. From November 2, 2025, the Punjab government allegedly stopped releasing all advertisements to the Punjab Kesari group. The newspaper stated that despite this economic pressure, it continued to carry out independent and unbiased reporting. However, it claimed that in recent days, a sustained and aggressive campaign had been launched against the group and its promoters.

 

 

The letter detailed a series of actions taken in January 2026 against businesses owned by the Chopra family, promoters of the Punjab Kesari group. These included a raid by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India at Hotel Park Plaza in Jalandhar on January 11. On January 12, raids were conducted by the GST Department and the Excise Department at the same hotel, which is operated by Chopra Hotels Private Limited. On the same day, inspections were carried out by the Deputy Director of the Factories Department at Punjab Kesari printing presses located at the Focal Point in Ludhiana and at Civil Lines in Jalandhar.

 

On January 13, a raid was conducted by the Pollution Control Board at another hotel in Jalandhar run by Chopra Hotels Private Limited. The following day, January 13, a show cause notice was issued by the Excise Department for cancellation of the hotel’s licence by the Collector-cum-Excise, Jalandhar Zone, with the licences reportedly cancelled on January 14. The group further alleged that electricity supply to the hotel in Jalandhar was disconnected on January 14. On January 15, raids were again conducted by the Pollution Control Board at the Punjab Kesari printing presses in Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

 

 

The Punjab Kesari group has urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to intervene and order a fair and impartial investigation into the matter. It has reiterated that it remains committed to independent journalism and has expressed concern that the continued actions by enforcement authorities pose a serious threat to press freedom in the state.